"The
example of The Prophet Muhammad and his Companions - the greatest sources of the
Muslim ideal - bears witness to how he endured the worst insults from the
non-believers of his time. Not only was his message routinely rejected, but he
was often chased out of town, cursed, and physically assaulted. His example was
to endure all personal insults and attack without retaliation of any sort.
There is no doubt that as in this life, The Prophet is our greatest example,
this should also be the reaction of all Muslims. As the Quran instructs us, “Be
patient, as were the great prophets."

With the publication of yet another set of insulting
cartoons against the Prophet of Islam, it has become increasingly obvious that
we are living through dangerous times, and that the world is growing alarmingly
polarized and obstinate. A number of factors have precipitated the current crisis.
There is no single cause to which we can point, the eradication of
which would magically solve our problems. Rather, this is a complex matter,
involving the incapacity of each side to understand the worldview and
commitments of the other. The events of the past week are known to all, but the
underlying causes are deeper and more intractable, and cannot be simply wished
away.

To properly understand these causes at this moment in
history, one must take a serious look at the politics that exist between Islam
and the West. To point to individual films, cartoons, or writings as the
motivating cause of these conflagrations and which explicitly seek to provoke
and insult Muslims, would be naive. Rather, one must keep in mind the many
points of conflict between Muslims and Westerners that exist around the world.
One need only scratch the surface and mention the violations associated with
the war on Iraq; regular drone attacks in Yemen and Pakistan; the treatment of
often innocent Muslims at Guantanamo; the demonization of Muslims by far-right
European parties and the banning of their symbols by European legislatures; and
the conflict that has persisted in Palestine for decades. To turn a blind eye
to these serious and enduring issues is to remain willfully oblivious to the
underlying issues that make coexistence and rapprochement between Islam and the
West so difficult.

Posted
by Worldmeets.US

In this context, to then insist on igniting such simmering
tensions by publishing hurtful and insulting material in a foolhardy attempt at
bravado - asserting the superiority of Western freedoms over alleged Muslim
closed-mindedness - verges on incitement. Of all Muslim symbols, perhaps none are
more sacred than the Prophet Muhammad himself. Muslims can barely utter his
name before conscience obliges them to pray for God's blessing and grant him
peace. Hundreds of millions of Muslims revere not only the Prophet, but the city
of Medina that he made his home, and ardently aspire to journey there at the
first opportunity. It is no exaggeration to say that Muslims love the Prophet
more dearly than their own lives. To imagine crude representations of a man so
dear is unbearable to the vast majority of Muslims.

None of this is to condone violence of any kind. Indeed, the
example of The Prophet Muhammad and his Companions - the greatest sources of the
Muslim ideal - bears witness to how he endured the worst insults from the
non-believers of his time. Not only was his message routinely rejected, but he
was often chased out of town, cursed, and physically assaulted. His example was
to endure all personal insults and attack without retaliation of any sort.
There is no doubt that as in this life, The Prophet is our greatest example,
this should also be the reaction of all Muslims. As the Quran instructs us, “Be
patient, as were the great prophets.”

The call of all Muslim leaders must be to protest these
instances of hate speech in only the most peaceful manner. Violence of any sort
must be condemned outright. Here it is equally important to point out that some
self-appointed religious leaders have failed to act responsibly. In the tense
environment that currently prevails in the Muslim world, to display such
provocations and speculate on the supposed conspiracies behind them is to act
recklessly. Unfortunately, the proliferation of satellite TV and other media
have opened the door to all sorts of people who have in mind only the pursuit
of their own interests and popularity, and not the wellbeing of the Muslim
nation, the Middle East, or the world at large.

Worldmeets.US is a non-partisan, volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization that operates solely in the public interest. The opinions expressed in articles posted by Worldmeets.US are not necessarily those of Worldmeets.US, its sponsors, or its volunteers.